The Other Sweet Dreamer
by Dreamsand Caster 2
Summary: 'Pain. All I felt was pain. My eyes seemed almost glued shut, no matter how much I willed them to open. I was vaguely aware of other beings in the room, and I was confused. My heart hammered against my chest. I felt helpless, and alone. Sometimes, being the daughter of the Sandman is complicated.'-Aria Mansnoozie.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! This is my first RotG fanfic, and I hope it doesn't suck that much. I really love RotG, (and Sandy ;D) so I decided that I would write this. **

**Enjoy!-**

My golden hair whipped around my face in the chilled wind. I shivered slightly, and hugged myself for warmth. I rubbed my gloved hands over my cold arms in hopes of heat. I averted my eyes towards the glistening frozen lake before me. A dark feeling of dread boiled in my chest; was this the icy deathtrap that Jack had told me about? Was this where the tragedy of his death happened?

An emotion of sympathy and sadness gripped my heart.

A vision of his struggling body, small and thin, his damp hair clinging to his face and forehead, his lips slowly turning a winter shade of blue, his sister's pained cries over her brother clouded my mind...

I sucked in a breath, puffing my rosy cheeks out and releasing a whispy breath into the air. I couldn't look at it any longer.

Glancing around, looking anywhere else except the lake, I noticed the grass was slightly tinted with a white crusted frost. The trees were bare and silver, and when I ran my hand over one of the trunks, it was smooth and hollow. A beautiful winter wonderland.

I smiled. Even though summer was my favourite season, I had always loved the fresh and cold air, the snowball fights, and the making of the snowmen, all the while watching children grin as they pelted each other with the freezing white flakes scrunched together, and the laughter etched on their faces as their friends retaliated by shoving snow down their backs, making them squirm and shiver.

I sighed. I guessed that it was time to get back to dad, in time for tonight.

It was dark out, and my vision wasn't very clear-I supposed it was around six. I glanced at the lake one last time. Jack had explained to me in confidence about his sister and how he had died to save her, and I did not want to betray his trust by telling my father or any of the other guardians about it, no matter how much I so wanted to. If I'm honest, I was very flattered that he had come to me from everybody else, and that I was the only one (I think) that he trusted enough with whom to share his past. He had even showed me his house, where he used to live. It must have been painful for him to relive, so I listened with rapt attention and attempted to cheer him up with some sand images, which worked, if only a little.

I started to trudge up through the snow, which came up to my knees -I am a very short person- and began to hum a soft tune, silently of course. Small golden music notes drifted up into the evening air, floating up into the sky until they were so tiny they were not within my sight.

Entering the forest, which made my vision even worse, so I stumbled almost blindly around, even if my own golden aura lit up my path slightly, so I was still able to manoeuvre my way around a bit. It was eerily silent, and the only thing I could hear was the gentle rustling of the trees in the wind.

I jumped as a bird darted through the air above my head, cawing loudly. I tripped over something from surprise, sending myself tumbling through the snow and down a hill, whacking my head off of a couple of things on the way. With a silent cry, I landed in a heap at the bottom.

I was in serious pain all over my body, and I gasped for breath, as I had been winded. I must have hit my right leg at some point, I could feel it bending the wrong way. The headache was unbearable. My eye was swelling up. My back and neck were sore. My arm hurt. My heart was beating abnormally fast, hammering against my chest painfully. I felt warm liquid trickle down the side of my face, hot against my cool skin, staining the white snow red. If I could groan, I would have.

I wanted my daddy. I wanted Bunnymund. I wanted North, Tooth, Jack, _anyone_. I was so scared. I needed help. And fast.

My vision blurred, and the last thing I saw was a shadowy figure loom over me, before the world was absorbed in darkness.

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**So, how was it? Please let me know what you think/if I should carry on etc No flames though please!**

**R&R/F&F please! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! So, this is the next installment of 'The Other Sweet Dreamer." Thank you to everyone who favourited/reviewed/followed, it means a lot to me :D So, here it is!:**

Chapter 2

Pain. All I felt was pain.

My eyes seemed almost glued shut, no matter how much I willed them to open. I was vaguely aware of other beings in the room, and I was confused. My heart hammered against my chest. I felt helpless, and alone. My limbs, along with my fingers and my toes, were numb and heavy, and prickled with pins and needles, and my lips felt dry and cracked, like the dusty desert ground.

The air was cold, sending a shiver down my spine. That had been the first movement I had made since I woke up. It didn't even feel like I had actually woken up; more like I was trapped inside my own mind , floating weightlessly through my sub-conscience, alone and forgotten. I didn't know how long I had been out for, but it seemed like forever.

The 'other beings', which, for the moment, remain unknown, seemed to concur on something. My breath hitched, and I swallowed the lump that had built up in my throat.

There was silence.

I had almost literally stopped breathing now. The lump in my throat had returned. I felt a cool touch on my left hand, sending a spark up my arm, and a warm tingling sensation spread around my body. I jerked up, my eyes shot open like a bullet, and all the numbness had disappeared, leaving me to move my limbs freely. I shook myself awake thoroughly, and stretched until I heard a satifying 'crack' from both my neck and back.

I turned to the 'other beings'. They both looked identical; though one was older than the other. Pitch black hair and sallow, pale skin wasn't the only thing they had in common. They both had a haunting pair of bright yellow eyes that glowed like a lit torch, which seemed to spread light across their faces, making their otherwise dull appearance stand out. Their thin mouths looked like they were permanantly scatched into a dark smirk.

I almost choked on my own baited breath. I knew who this man was.

_Pitch. Pitch Black._

Though we know him as a different name.

_The Boogeyman_.

Even the word sent those that knew of him fleeing to the hills. A glance from those ghostly golden eyes made even fully grown men tremble. If those long fingers even touched your dreams, it would engulf it in darkess and fear, a nightmare replacing the sweet little dolphin that you had been dreaming about.

"Ah, Aria, _sweetheart_. We meet again, at last! It's been a while hasn't it?" His voice was smooth, like melted chocolate. But I heard the sarcasm dripping from the words.

Well, let's just say, Pitch and I, we don't have a very good history.

Last time I saw him, was when he 'killed' my father and we had to kick his sorry backside into the hole he crawled out of. Literally. That hole was the very place I was in now.

It was damp dark, and large, and had a kind of eerie glow radiating from it, the familiar black cages swinging back and forth slightly in the draft; those very same cages used to hold Tooth's baby teeth faries when they had been captured by Pitch. It had changed slightly from when I last saw it, Pitch must have done a few things since he got chased down here and backstabbed by his own nightmares.

My hand curled into a fist, and I ignored the sharp pain that raged up my arm as my muscles tensed.

'Pitch. What do you want with me? I thought we killed you!' I signed angrily. Golden images, that changed every second, floated above my head to convey my meaning.

"Aw, well, that's hardly a way to _speak_, to your saviour is it? My son here, Shade, saved your life. Didn't your sweet Daddy ever teach you any manners?" He received a sharp whip in the face for that. No-one talks to me about my dad like that. Ever.

His son took a threatening step towards me, but Pitch held out an arm in front of him.

The grin I had the misfortune of enduring could only be described as malicious. He casually wiped the dark liquid that was flowing freely down his face with the back of his hand, and seemed to study it.

"Wow, Aria. And I thought you were intelligent. We"-he gestured to himself and his son, **Shade**-"are going to use you, as bait for the Guardians."

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**So! What did you guys think? I hope you guys like it! **

**R&R/F&F please!**


	3. Chapter 3

_~Flashback~_

_"NO!" I yell hoarsly. I immediately spring into action, zooming at lightning speed across the star-scattered night sky. I hear shouts from behind me, but I ignore them. I have only one thought on my mind: 'save Dad'. _

_*A couple of minutes before this*_

_We were fighting. Fighting, as we had never fought before: to protect the belief of the children of the world, from the biggest possible threat; the Boogeyman, or, as he is known, Pitch Black._

_Jack, Dad, and I battled with the Nightmares in the sky, while Tooth, North, and Mund were in the sleigh. _

_I swung my sand-whips around my head like a tornado, whipping Nightmares into golden dust. They were multiplying by the minute, the Dream Shadows swirling around us, draining us of power. But we weren't going down without a fight._

_Dad and I were standing on his dream-cloud using our whips, doing our best to overcome the dark force of the Nightmares; Jack, shooting ice at them, this way and that; North, with his machete, slicing though them; Bunnymund, with his egg-bombs exploding with colours, and his boomerangs cutting through them as though they were nothing more than a carrot; and Tooth, just attacking them with her hands and feet as best as she could: we were all retaliating with as much power as possible._

_But it wasn't enough._

_They were overcoming us, and I could feel the fear radiating from them: children's fear. It sickened me, that the innocent children had to live with these monsters coming to them at night, stealing their dreams and turning them into visions of darkness._

_There was a 'crack'. _

_The sound of an arrow being shot._

_I snapped my head around, just in time to see the arrow soaring towards my father's back._

_*back to present*_

_The air nips my face, my heart thumping, as I thunder across the sky._

_The world is in slow motion:_

_As the arrow hits dad in the back._

_I'm screaming, louder than I even knew I could._

_His golden eyes find mine for the last time, filled with fear and sadness,and he reaches out for me._

_My heart stops, and I desperately grapple for his outstetched hand._

_And I'm too late._

_He closes his eyes, letting the Nightmares engulf him, giving up fighting it._

_And he's gone._

_..._

_*End of Flashback*_

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**I am so sorry guys! I haven't posted in ages, and this was a really crappy chapter.**

**1) I had to KILL SANDY! D':**

**2) Horrible writing**

**But, I'm making it up to you with another story! I've posted a couple-of-chapters shot, it's an alternative to this chapter, where something else happens instead of this. So, if you want to read that, feel free, and please do!**

**R&R/F&F please!**


	4. Chapter 4

Aria POV

My scream echoed through the darkness, the memory taking it's toll on my mind. My heart was beating as fast as it had on that fateful day: the day where I lost my father. My limp hair clung to my damp face like a lifeline, sweat trickling from my forehead and down my cheeks.

A rough shaking had awkakened me from my fitful slumber. My entire body was trembling, even after the shaking had ceased.

Nightmares.

I swallowed. Observing my surroundings, visions of yesterday (well, I assumed it was yesterday) flooded my mind. All I did was tremble harder, and more tears poured out of my eyes. I hadn't been aware I was crying in the first place.

"What the hell was all _that _about? You would expect to have Nightmares, this is the Nightmare Realm; don't tell me you seriously didn't see it coming?" Shade's voice sliced the tension like a knife. I glared at him with all the menace I could muster while tears still streamed down my face, blurring my vision a bit. Who does this guy think he is? Well, I guess he is the Boogeyman's son...He's supposed to be a pain in the backside.

"Oh, feisty, are we?" his signature smirk spread across his thin mouth, sarcasm dripping from his words. Just like his father. Note to self: avoid them as much as possible.

I raised an eyebrow at him, and his smirk faded slightly.

"So, what exactly was your _dear _nightmare about, to make you scream like _that_," he asked, nosily. I've learnt to be observant over time with my father, and I noticed a little spark of curiousity in his eyes, though he tried to hide it. It made his eyes sparkle...wait, what?

'Shouldn't you know?' I snapped irritably with my sand.

He seemed to have no trouble at all understanding my little sand-language.

"No, I don't. My father dearest doesn't deem me ready to see people's greatest fear. He says I need more training, and that I'll be prepared soon. Then, I'll be able to see everything." He smiled wickedly, pointed teeth showing.

I looked at him. 'You hardly need to know then, do you?' My temper was rising. He seemed to sense this, and his grin widened.

"Actually, I'm quite curious. I could see a faint outline of your nightmare, and it seemed like you were trying to defend a giant marshmallow or something."

_Smack! _Wow, deja vu.

'Shouldn't you have seen that coming, Nightmare Man?' I smirked, as rage built in his eyes. No more Sweet Little Sandgirl.

He rubbed his cheek, where the skin was pink from when I whipped him. Guilt washed over me, as I saw the blood start to gush, shockingly red against his ghostly pale skin. I grimaced as he held his face in pain.

I sighed, tearing a piece of cloth from my already ripped dress, and dipped it in a glass of water that was on a small, wooden table, beside the 'bed', if that's what you would call it, I had been sleeping on. I approached him, slowly, and he eyed me warily. I kept walking until I was right in front of him, and gently pressed the cool, damp fabric against his bleeding skin, dabbing away the blood slowly oozing from the cut.

'Sorry. I can't stand it when people insult him.' My sand swirled above my head limply in apology.

He grunted, wincing, and placed his hand on top of my own. My cheeks burned a dark gold, and his a bright pink. I smiled slightly, it did look cute on him...It almost made me forget about my Daddy.

Almost, being the key word.

What. Am. I. Thinking?

*With the Guardians*

Sandman POV

WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER?!

She was supposed to be back hours ago! She told me she was just going for a wander around the woods in Burgess, which I said was fine. (Of course, before hand, I had interrogated Jack for any dangers there were, and after he had explained to me for 15 minutes that there weren't any, I had agreed to let her go. (Don't give me that look! I'm not over-protective! ...)

Aria had told me to stop worrying, that she would be fine, and that she would be back by half past six, just before the sun started to set, so that we would have plenty of time before our rounds started.

Now, it was half past four in the morning.

Jack had tried reassuring me that she was okay, and probably just fell asleep, resulting in me giving him a strange look. I would be able to tell if she was asleep, call it fatherly instincts if you will (however, I suppose that being the Guardian of Dreams would help).

"SANDY! Stop with pacing! Need to relax, daughter be back soon! I feel it in my belly!"

RELAX?!

I glared at North. Says the guy, who, when told news that Aria hadn't returned, started kicking his elves in frustration when they tried to offer him cookies. This resulted in a lot of cookie crumbs scattered on the floor, along with some shards of broken plate. You could tell the guy was stressed.

Not that the others were any better: Tooth fidgeting nervously in the air, her wings fluttering twice the usual speed, and also talking a lot more quickly when giving orders to her faries(which is FAST), leaving them confused to whether it was Latvia, or Lithuania, or Malta, or Madrid; Bunnymund snapping at anyone who even tried to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, yelling twice the volume of his usual voice at Jack, who I could tell, was slightly hurt by this, and his breathing was louder too. He was pacing, like me, and occasionally dragging toys around the floor with his large foot (paw?).

But non were more worried than me.

**Still suckish, I'm sorry :/**

**There was a little romantic/awkward moment between Aria and Shade...So yeah...**

**And a bit of Sandy's POV :D He's gonna be an overprotective Daddy ;)**

**Deal with it.**

**I don't think I captured his character very well, did I?**

**Or any of the characters... P:**

**R&R/F&F please!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Shade POV

OUCH.

Damn, she can hit bloody hard! And I find it extremely attractive...What?!

I gripped my cheek in pain. I could feel the red liquid stain my hand, making it wet and sticky. I probably shouldn't have made fun of her father...After all, I can relate to her situation: I know how it feels to give up hope on everything. I know how it feels to be angry at the world.

I know how it feels, to loose someone you love...

I shook off my stupid _feelings_. The only thing that matters is that fear rules the world.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I looked at...what was her name? Aria, was it? I looked at 'Aria', and saw a dab of guilt in her beautiful golden eyes...*insert facepalm* That, and she was holding a damp piece of gold cloth in her hand, obviously torn from her ragged dress. She approached me, and I eyed her suspiciously. She stood on her tiptoes, and gently held the side of my face, bringing me down to her short level, and pressed the cool fabric to the side of my cheek. Instant relief, and a mysterious and unfamiliar warmth, spread throughout my body.

I put pressure on the cloth, covering her petit hand with my own. A spark of electricity shot up my arm, and heat rose to my cheeks. Her cheeks too burned a bright orange. She looked adorable...

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What. Am. I. Thinking?

* * *

Jack POV

Geez, people really need to chill, no pun intended. But, seriously, I'm worried about Aria too, she's like a little sister to me...And fretting about her isn't going to bring her back.

I've never seen The Easter Kangaroo so stressed, not even on the day before Easter. She's like a neice to him, they were really close. She always defends him when I call him a Kangaroo, but she has a sense of humour.

And North, he's like a father to me, so he's almost like a second-father towards her, well, so is Bunnymund, but he's more of a granddad, really. Which is kind of weird, because her dad, Sandy, is older than him...

Tooth, she's even more talkative than usual. Which is worrying. Her Baby Teeth, and the Yetis, they too have gone mental. The situation has even put a damper on the elves' moods.

Aria, buddy, where are you?

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Sandman POV

Jack seems a bit irriated at everyone. Which annoys me. If he think that we're going to be completely calm, about _my daughter_ going missing, then he can think again. I thought he cared about her?

Aria, sweetie, where are you?

Pitch POV

The girl reminds me of her father: spirted and annoying. There's that same stupid sweetness, and innocence, about them that just makes me want to throw up.

This is the perfect plan to lure the guardians into my trap. What better way is there to kill someone than see them trying to save someone they love, and replacing that love with fear?

I might just have to torture and murder her in front of them, so I can enjoy their _own _totured reaction.

This will kill the Sandman.

**Well, it's a chapter, right?**

**...Kinda...?**

**Still don't think I'm capturing their personality very well, but anyway...**

**Thank you so much to everyone who is reviewing this story. The comments really encourage me and build my confidence. They make me smile :D If anyone wants anybody's particular POV, then feel free to tell me so :)**

**R&R/F&F please!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Warning: Crappy chapter ahead.**

Chapter 6

Shade's POV

Aria and I, we don't mix. She's dreams, and I'm nightmares. She's light, I'm dark. She's night and I'm...night. (I don't think she's enjoying our hospitality too much either.)

Well, you get the idea; we're complete opposites. I can feel her burn holes through the back of my head when I turn around; I feel her hopeful aura; I feel her innocence radiating off of her. But that will all change soon.

We have a plan.

Yet, don't they say opposites attract?

Sandman POV

Aria has been missing for 2 days, and I'm beyond worried. We've been out looking for her since yesterday, and she's still nowhere to be found. I can't even begin to describe how much this hurts me.

When you're a guardian, you have one special child. One child that is almost like another part of you; like your other half. If one half gets hurt, the other does too. If one dies...Well...the other is left broken.

And, as I'm assuming you've guessed, Aria is my special child. It would make sense, considering the fact that she's my daughter. But of course I would still love her more than life itself even if she wasn't my special child.

That's how I can feel if she's sleeping, dreaming, or having a nightmare. The latter is the sensation I've been experiencing most lately, which makes me even more desperate to find her. It makes me angry that my Little Star is having _nightmares_. So it can only mean...that Pitch has her.

And when I find him, he's going get his ass kicked.

Bunnymund POV

I'm so worried about my little ankle biter. I hope she's putting up a fight, wherever she is. But it's Aria; so I'm assuming that she is.

I feel kinda bad for Frostbite: I keep yelling at him, but that's because he's annoying me; and the whole 'Aria Incident' is making me even more stressed. And what's worse: he's acting strange; like he's not that bothered about finding her. Which makes me want to order one of my warrior eggs to sit on him.

Aria, Little Ankle Biter, where are you?

North POV

My little granddaughter is nowhere to be found; which worries me. Sandy suspects that Pitch has her; I've never seen him so angry before. (True, it made all of us pretty angry.) So we're going to investigate Pitch's old lair, The Nightmare Realm, to see if there's any sign of her there. If not, we're not resting until we've found her.

But, there's a problem. If we don't begin to restart our work, the children may loose belief in us. And we don't want that to happen again; or else Pitch will once again rise to power to strike fear into the hearts of children.

Aria, my little рождественские печенья, where are you?

Pitch POV

I think the Guardians are onto us. I'm sure they at least suspect something's going on. I feel it. The Sandman's one fear: Losing his little girl.

And if they do come looking...We'll be ready.

**BTW: ****рождественские печенья** **means ****Christmas Cookie in Russian. LOL**

***Glances up and writing and re-reads chapter***

**WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!**

***Dodges flying laptops* Yes, okay, I know that this... just... *facepalm*...Ugh. But you don't understand. I NEEDED to update or my friend Kalavara would have killed me! Inspiration is hard to find people. **

**But you don't know how much I wanted to go up to Shade's POV and add in the words 'An EVIL plan! Mwahahahaha! ^^ :D' after his line 'We have a plan'. But I didn't, because, you know, that would be weird...**

***Awkward Silence.***

**And I think I'm making the characters **_**really**_** OOC, anybody else think so? Especially Sandy. But I always wanted to hear him talk, and say: 'And Pitch will get his ass kicked' so I added it in ;) (Guardians: *ROFLing*)**

**But I should be able tp update more often now that we're on easter break. I'm gonna go and see if I can find Bunnymund! (Bunnymund: *Groan* Jack: Haha, Kangaroo! Me: What, don't you want to see me Bunny? Bunnymund: Erm... Jack: Awkward...) But for some reason, Jack has given us A LOT of snow. And it's spring. Care to explain, Jack? *Raises eyebrows* (Jack: ...Because you like snow...? O_O Me: Eh, good enough. You'd better take it away in time for Easter though, or I'll send Sandy on you! Sandy: *Nods dutifully and cracks knuckles* Me: See, SOMEONE likes me! I think... North/Tooth: We like you! 3 Me: Thanks ;) )**

**Anyway, sorry, Please Review/Favourite/Follow, Thank you to all who have/will, I really appreciate the feedback: The people on this site are so amazingly nice! Anyway, I'm gonna shut up now, and anyone who read all of that, YOU ARE AWESOME :D (Gives person a cookie that North made)**

**SHOUT OUT TO MY FRIEND KALAVARA WHO KEPT BUGGING ME TO UPDATE! xD I KNOW YOU WOULDN'T REALLY KILL ME! (Probably not...Possibly not...Maybe -_-)**

_**I think this Author's note was longer than the actual chapter.**_


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